Ice-tray.



No. 699,3!9. Patented May 6, I902.

T. W. HENNING.

IcE TRAY. Y

(No Model.)

UNTTnp STATES 1 ATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS 'W. IIENNING, OF SAN ANGELO, TEXAS.-

lC E-T RAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent- N 0. 699,319, dated May 6,1902. Application filed September 4, 1901. Serial No. 74,821- (Nomodel.)

To (tZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. HENNING, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Angelo, in the county of Tom Green and State of Texas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice-Trays, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein totheaccompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a combined watercooler and ice-tray, and has forits object the cooling of water by ice without the ice coining incontact with the water, and the flowof water through the device isretarded to admitof the water being retained in proximity with the ice alonger time than is usual in devices for such purposes; and it consistsof various features, details, and combinations hereinafter set forth andclaimed.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters indicate similarparts, Figure l is a perspective view of. my invention, the corner beingbroken away for better illustration. Fig. 2 is a perspective of myinvention, the lower portion only being shown to clearly illustrate theperforated partition. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken through thedraining-pipe for the ice-chamber.

A is the upper or false bottom of the double bottom of my device,composed of metal or other suitable material. B is the under or truebottom, composed of the same material. Said bottoms A and B join atright angles the walls or sides 0, also composed of the same material,the union of said bottoms A and B with the said walls 0 forming awater-tight chamber Y. The said walls 0 extend upwardly from the unionwith the under bottom 13 to above the false bottom A equally on allsides, said extension-of the walls 0 forming a receptacle over the saidbottom A to retain the ice, which rests on said bottom A.

The water-tight chamber Y is divided into water-tight compartments ofequal or Varied size, as desired, allel to each other, composed of thesame material as the bottom A and B and the walls 0. Said partitions Dextend from the walls 0, to which they are joined along theirperpendicular edges either at right angles or diagonally,as desired,andare joined at right angles along their horizontal edges to the undersurby partitions D, running par face of the bottomsA on their upperhorizontal edges and to the upper surface of the bottom B on thei 1'under horizontal edges. Said partitions, in addition to dividing thewatertight chamber Y into water-tight compartments, serve also tosupport and strengthen the bottom A to sustain the weight of the iceupon it. The number of said partitions is not limited, and as manycompartments may be formed as is desired; but said compart ments must beso arranged that water introduced into the compartment next the point ofentrance of water of natural temperature will flow through eachcompartment one after the other to the point of exit, as hereinaftershown. Each of said partitions D is provided at alternate ends,adjacentto its union with the walls 0, and at its top, near its unionwith the under surface of the bottom A, with a small opening E, servingto admit the flow of water from one compartment to the one nextadjoining when the water reaches the level of said opening E.

By virtue of the provision of the small openings E in the partitions Dand the arrangement of said openings immediately adjacent to theice-receptacle bottom A, of metal or other cold-conducting material, inthe manner just described, it will be observed that the water, incidentto its passage from one compartment to the next succeeding compartmentof the chamber Y, is carried in a thin stream in close proximity to thesaid bottom A, with the result tliatby the time it reaches theexit-opening of the chamber Y it will be rendered very cold. It willalso be observed that because of the tortuous course which the water iscompelled to take in its passage through the chamber Y and the fact thatit is carriedseveral times en route in the form of a thin stream againstthe metallic or other conductive bottom A it will be materially cooledby the time it reaches the exit-opening'of the chamber Y, even if it ispermitted to flow from a sourceof supply through the said chamberwithout stoppage. Thiswill be appreciated as an important advantage whenit is remembered that frequently the amount of water drawn from thechamberY at one time exceeds the capacity of said chamber, and if noprovision were made for retarding the flow of water through the chamberand rectly opposite each other when the partitions D are arrangeddiagonally, as shown in Fig. 2, are openings, F on one side being thepoint of entrance and G on the other side being the point of exit, saidopenings being placed in the center of said walls 0, midway between thebottoms A and B, the opening F being provided with a piping capable ofbeing attached to a hydrant, tank, or reservoir of water of naturaltemperature and the opening G beingprovided with a faucet to ,draw offthe iced water.

Descending from the center of the bottom A from its upper surface to andthrough the center of the bottom 13, to both of which it is attached torender itself and the central compartment through which it enterswater-tight, is a drain-pipe H, adapted to carry off the melted ice fromthe ice-receptacle before described.

To operate my im proved ice-tray and cooler, ice is placed in thereceptacle formed by the walls 0 and the bottom A, theice resting on thesaid bottom A. ater of natural temperature is introduced from allfll1l,l6S6I'VOll,Ol hydrant, as desired, through the opening F,filling the compartment into which said opening enters. When the waterin said compartment rises to the level of the opening E in the partitionD, separating it from the next compartment, it flows through saidopening E into the next compartment, and so on .to the last compartment,following the direction as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, when itcan be drawn off by the faucet attached to opening G.

By the use of the partitions D the water is retained in the severalcompartments and its flow from the point of entrance to the point ofexit retarded to admit of its being retained in proximity with the iceto obtain the efieet of its cooling influence.

It is obvious that my improved ice-tray and water-cooler can be placedin an ice-chest or refrigerator, the ice then serving the double purposeof cooling the water and the atmosphere of the chest or refrigerator atthe same time, or it can serve the single purpose of cooling water, asdesired, and,-furthermore, that my device is not limited to the coolingof water. Milk and other liquids requiring refrigeration may also beused.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent,

The herein-described combined ice-holder and water-cooler consistingessentially of the bottom wall, the wall of cold-conducting materialdisposed in a plane above the bottom wall, the continuous side walls Cextending upwardly from the bottom wall to a point above thecold-conducting wall, and permanently joined in a water-tight manner attheir lower ends to the bottom wall, and at an intermediate point oftheir height to the coldconducting wall; said side walls 0 serving inconjunction with the bottom and cold-conducting walls to form awater-chamber, and in conjunction with the cold-conducting wall to forman ice-receptacle above the waterchamber, and having inlet and outletports communicating with the water-chamber at opposite points, and theplurality of partitions arranged in the water-chamber at intervalsbetween the inlet and outlet ports, and

extending from side to side and top to bottom of the chamber; the saidpartitions each having a small opening near its upper edge whereby thewater must of necessity pass several times in a slight stream adjacentto the coldconducting wall incident to its passage through thewater-chamber, and the opening in one partition being arranged adjacentto the opposite side of the chamber with reference to the opening in thenext adjacent partition to compel the water to take a tortuous courseand retard its passage through the chamber.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS WV. IIENNING. WVitnesses:

MARY A. McNAMEn, O. E. DUBOIS.

